What is the story of CasaLeña? The newly opened restaurant on the corner of Hang Lekir 2 Street easily attracts curiosity with its grand yet enigmatic structure that offers little clue as to what goes on inside.
There’s certainly plenty to talk about the architecture itself. Designed by the award-winning architect Andra Matin, the space opens up to a spacious, shaded wooden deck furnished with a coffee bar and plush white sofas, evoking the relaxed, open-air dining style reminiscent of Bali. To the right lies the main dining room, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass doors that provide a clear preview of the open kitchen. Meanwhile, a climb up the long ramp that crisscrosses the façade would lead to karaoke rooms, private dining areas as well as an upcoming bar on the rooftop—the culmination of which makes the restaurant feel like a well-equipped mansion.
But CasaLeña is more than just the space it occupies. Through the food offerings—created in partnership with the city’s beloved Argentinian restaurant, Sudestada—executive chef Silverio Altamirano tells the story of his homeland, bringing together staples spanning from his native country of Mexico to Argentina and Peru to compile an extensive Latin American menu.
There’s the Prawn & Octopus Cocktail from Mexico, a fresh, sweet and tart array of poached tiger prawn and octopus, doused with tomato and orange sauce and served alongside slices of cucumber and onion. As for their house specialty, one can opt between cuts of steak such as the ribeye; served Argentinian-style with Chimichurri and Criolla salad, the steaks highlight the wood-fired method that the restaurant prides itself on (hence the name CasaLeña, house of woodfire).
“Despite the modern presentation, we still go by traditional cooking techniques, much like how people do it back home,” shared Chef Altamirano. “Other than the wood-fired grill for the steak, we also created a Mayan píib oven—used for cooking tamales in Mexico—to smoke other meats, such as the tuna in the Chitarra Pescatore (seafood pasta).”
To the uninitiated, it might seem odd for a Latin American joint to offer a pasta dish, but actually, “there are a lot of Italian immigrants in Argentina,” explained the well-travelled chef. “South America is rich with cultural influences from colonisation and immigration, and it’s reflected in the food. That’s part of what I’m trying to inform people about with CasaLeña.”
In addition to the pasta, one can also find pizza options such as the All’ Amanda where the crust is a bit lighter and airier than a traditional Italian pizza, topped with thinly sliced ham, rocket salad, bocconcini cheese, black olive and drizzles of balsamic reduction that add a touch of sweetness to the equation.
With Latin American food on the table, combined with the stand-out architecture and relative peacefulness of the atmosphere, a visit to CasaLeña can feel like you’ve traded Jakarta for an oasis in a foreign land. But if one starts to crave for something more familiar, Chef Altamirano also provides condiments including jalapeño and habanero sauces as well as chipotle oil to accompany the spread, much like how most streetside eateries in the city would offer choices of sambal with your meal. “I understand how Indonesian people like to eat,” laughed the chef.